The Bad Seed

Sociopathic young girl resorts to murder to get what she wants. Her paranoia caused her to commit another violent act, which led her mother to making a dramatic decision. Great movie with a smashing finale; much better than the original. I usually consider Carradine to be a 10 cent actor, but he played the moronic handyman to perfection.

I recently watched The Bad Seed (1985) on a streaming service. The film follows a 9-year-old girl whose disturbing behavior may have led to accidents and deaths in her community. Her mother suspects that some aspects of the family's troubled past have been inherited by the girl, driving her actions.

This film is directed by Paul Wendkos (Special Delivery) and stars David Carradine (Kill Bill), Blair Brown (Space Cowboys), Lynn Redgrave (Gods and Monsters), and Chad Allen (TerrorVision).

This made-for-television movie has some solid scenes and characters, along with clear missteps. David Carradine's performance is awkward and unsettling, and while the overall cast delivers solid performances, the child acting is strong. However, casting Carrie Wells instead of Drew Barrymore or Alyssa Milano was probably a mistake. The horror elements are minimal, with only a few kill scenes, and the film relies on the cat-and-mouse dynamic between Carradine and Wells to carry the narrative, which works reasonably well.

In conclusion, The Bad Seed isn't particularly remarkable overall, but it's worth a watch for those looking for something different or if you're a fan of Carradine. I would score it a 5/10.

The reviews of this new version of "The Bad Seed" were so terrible that I watched the DVD to see what went wrong.

I saw the original film when it was released in 1956 and found it lacking--not in its story but in its acting and direction. Based on a hit Broadway show, which was inspired by a book, its origins were plainly visible. There was no attempt to adapt the play to the screen and give it movement and cinematic fluidity, and the cast, an ensemble of well-known and award- winning actors borrowed from the stage show, was still playing to the second balcony. The performances were so loud and over-the-top that they often made me wince. Even worse, the chilling finale of the play was altered due to the censorship of the times.

This new version puts the play's ending back into the script, which is a vast improvement. A few changes have been made to the script but nothing that harms the basic story of an outwardly sweet but amoral little 8-year-old girl with no conscience--a "bad seed"--who murders to get what she wants. Contrary to other reviewers, I did not find this version to be that awful. Granted, it's not what it could have been and it does have a cheesy look to it, but the concept of the story still makes me shudder.

I thought this new version would be more graphic, given the times we live in, but thankfully I was spared the grisly details. Unless you're a devoted fan of the original movie, I think you'll find this remake worth your time. It still has the power to shock.

I never saw the original "The Bad Seed", but I recall my mother telling me about it and how chilling Patty McCormack's performance was. It is possible that just hearing about the original clouded my judgment, but here's my opinion.

In this version, Carrie Wells was anything but chilling, she was just plain whiny, spoiled, and annoying. I never felt disturbed while watching her, I just felt irritated. She never came across as "evil", just bratty. I just kept wanting to slap the you know what out of her.

I didn't find any of the other actors to be all that impressive in their roles, either.

It's an interesting and entertaining film with great performances on such a simple story. I think this is as scary and exiting on its own way, sometimes clitché, but I liked the way how it ended. A big plus for actress Carrie Wells who acted very good as the murderous child. Well, what more can I say? I haven't seen the original movie yet but I think that this 90's version is worthseeing.

</I just wanted you to know that this movie was later adapted into an off-broadway play called "Ruthless" featuring a young Britney Spears as the 9 year old murderous Rachel Penmark.!>

Big Deal, that play worked as good as this film did.